Negotiations are purely feminine

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Half a century ago in America and Europe the alignment was as follows: a man should earn all the money; a woman is only suitable for the role of a secretary, anyway she cannot decide anything for herself, and a man will take care of her happiness. Our grandparents lived in a completely different world, because in the USSR, things were better with gender equality. One problem was that equality was violent: the Soviet regime kicked the woman out from behind the stove and forced her to go to work five days a week.

Perestroika forced her to work hard at this job, and not just serve the prescribed eight hours. Earn, not get pennies. And now, a hitherto unknown and still small tribe has appeared in Russia - the lady boss. Serious, smart, well-groomed, preoccupied, as it seems, exclusively with work - are they accepted on equal terms in the tough male world?"

The business sphere imposes many restrictions on a person. You need to choose the right business suit. You need to speak measuredly. You need to pacify your emotions and always seem to be balanced … The profession of a boss presupposes restraint in many ways, and if you do not know the "code" of conduct, you can easily fail. For example, an integral element of any business - negotiations - require compliance with certain rules, the basics of business etiquette. To neglect them, to say the least, is stupid.

The beginning of the beginning is preparation. Keep in mind that business etiquette is based on several fundamental positions - decent appearance, benevolence, commitment, restraint, literary language and awareness (information about a negotiating partner is never superfluous and you should take care of this in advance: family and hobbies, circle of his interests - everything might be helpful).

Let's consider them in more detail.

They meet by clothes

The first impression about a person is created literally in 10-15 seconds of communication. This is why appearance in business etiquette is a powerful tool to achieve a goal. Many women know how to dress for business meetings, in addition, Cleo dwelled on this issue in particular detail, but still it is not a sin to repeat myself here.

There is such a concept - a business style of clothing. This is a strict, conservative, restrained style that belongs to the category of international standards. American etiquette specialist John Molloy always claims that business women who prefer women's "tricks" - lace, light colors - are worse on the career ladder.

But you should not completely abandon everything feminine in your appearance. The partner should perceive you as a woman (since communication with a man follows one rules, and with a woman - according to others, and this does not mean that you are considered as a sexual object), and for this he needs some kind of external reference points. It should only be remembered that the business style of communication requires minimal use of elements of sexual provocation in clothing. No miniskirts, no low-cut blouses or snap-open buttons, no tight-fitting clothing, no flashy, eye-catching jewelry.

The skirt should be ironed carefully - no wrinkles or unnecessary folds.

Do not wear to work clothes made of shiny fabrics - brocade, satin, etc., which are more suitable for evening wear.

Denim clothing is also inappropriate.

Underwear should not show through clothing. It should always be clean and fresh.

Shoes should be worn of good quality with low to medium heels. Try not to wear sandals, strappy sandals, or fancy shoes to work.

Don't wear lacy stockings or fancy tights to work.

Keep your nails short enough. In some countries, long nails mean the wearer is not working. False nails are good for fun but not business.

Makeup should be moderate and fresh.

Evening perfume is best left for the evening, using expensive, but not harsh scents during the day. Active, dynamic women are more likely to prefer cool, refreshing perfumes.

Have a set of necessary things with you: this is a thread with needles, toothpaste and a brush, spare tights, nail polish and a nail file, a brush, a comb, a mirror, hairspray, deodorant, tampons and a shoe brush.

Do not wear white shoes to work and do not carry a white handbag (especially in England, where white shoes are worn only in the countryside).

Be sure to always wipe off any traces of lipstick. Leaving lipstick on cups and glasses is very bad taste.

Do not put your purse on your work desk, on a conference room table, or on a restaurant table.

Behavior

It is better not to be late for negotiations. Come 10 minutes before the appointed time to have time to put yourself in order, to concentrate.

Be sure to say hello to the security, introduce yourself to the secretary. Do not forget that "thanks" is worth a lot.

A smile should be sincere.

While waiting, don't read magazines, but rather look through business papers.

Do not question the secretary trying to find out confidential information.

It is the secretary who should take you to the meeting room.

In business and political circles, it is customary to shake hands. Shaking hands is a traditionally masculine way of greeting. For most women, it causes slight discomfort, since she does not know in advance whether her hand will be vigorously shaken as a party comrade or if they will try to kiss. To avoid confusion and awkwardness, it is better to extend your hand neither in a vertical plane (as for shaking), nor in a horizontal plane (as for a kiss), but in an intermediate position at an angle to the plane: if you want - kiss, if you want - press. The handshake should be concise and energetic enough.

Do not start the conversation while standing, wait for the offer to sit down. If not offered, it is appropriate to ask: "May I sit down?" Otherwise, the conversation will not be on an equal footing. You need to sit on a chair naturally, without straightening your clothes. Do everything without fuss, excessive frequency in plastic, speech, facial expressions. In short, act as if you are a gorgeous, gorgeous woman and can afford to take your time.

During business negotiations and meetings, your posture should be at the same time sufficiently free and restrained-taut. A woman huddled on the edge of a chair, convulsively clutching her handbag, with all her appearance shows constraint, shyness, self-doubt. A too loose posture can be taken as evidence of swagger. It is better to sit upright and freely gesticulate within the so-called intimate zone with a radius of about 45 centimeters around your body. Avoid neurotic gestures that indicate your embarrassment and nervousness: picking your ear, under your nails, scratching, straightening your clothes, hairstyles …

In order to win over the interlocutor, use gestures in conversation that allow you to see your palms. This is evidence of your openness.

It is better not to keep the bag on your lap, but to put it or put it next to you.

Keep your knees together, even if you are wearing pants. If you don’t know how to take the cross-legged pose, it’s better to avoid it. Do not hold any folders in your hands, but put your documents on the table.

It is necessary to look kindly and attentively into the face of your interlocutor, showing that you are interested in what he is saying. Moreover, if you have a business relationship with the interlocutor, then direct your gaze to the upper part of the face, just above the eyebrows, and to indicate attention - occasionally look into the eyes (a long gaze into the eyes can cause the interlocutor to feel discomfort). With emotional communication, the gaze automatically moves from the eyes to the lower part of the face - it is immediately felt.

The characteristics of your voice also matter in communication. If you have a high-pitched voice, try not to be squeaky, as in this case you can cause the interlocutor to have an irresistible desire to close their eyes and shut their ears. High-pitched voices are very annoying and tiring and are associated with stress or addiction. Therefore, achieve a chesty and pleasant voice by lowering it as much as possible. But don't speak too softly and hesitantly.

The measured tempo of speech is best perceived when you allow yourself to make small pauses, showing that before you answer something, you are thinking about what you have heard. Immediately there is a feeling that you are a "reasonable man".

It is undesirable to speak too quickly, overwhelming the interlocutor with streams of information. He may not immediately understand what such a grandiose project you are informing him about, and may interrupt you and ask you to repeat all over again. You will lose time, and most importantly, you will make it clear that you are a petty, dependent person and try to have time to say everything as quickly as possible, before you are "shown" out the door.

An increased rate of speech is always associated with addiction and frivolity. And if you speak too slowly, you will tire the interlocutor: he already understands everything, and you are still finishing the phrase.

Now let's talk about the distance between people in any business conversation. Each person, depending on his personal emotionality, himself determines the distance suitable for a given case. Emotional people seem to be closer and more understandable, constrained and restrained, push the interlocutor to a greater distance. Live facial expressions speak about shortening the distance, when they play with their eyebrows, squint, smile, lively intonations, relaxed poses.

As soon as the interlocutor wants to increase the distance, he immediately stretches himself, turning his face into an impenetrable mask, and begins to broadcast in the dispassionate voice of a loudspeaker or television announcer.

If you deliberately want to increase the distance, start calling your interlocutor by name and patronymic more often than necessary. In general, it is necessary to mention the name of the interlocutor in a conversation from time to time. If you, while talking with a person for two hours in a row, have never called him by name, he may suspect that you have completely forgotten who you are talking to.

The use of bureaucratic, cumbersome or outdated verbal constructions such as "of course", "certainly" causes confusion, increases the distance and indicates a rather cool attitude. Therefore, you should always try to take into account a lot of nuances in the relationship, playing with which, you can find the optimal communication style that suits both interlocutors.

Always be in control of the situation! If you come to negotiations and they put you on a lower seat than the interlocutor, or face the window, because of which you see only a dark silhouette against a bright background, you should know: you are put in a disadvantageous position, they are putting pressure on you. In this case, feeling that you are uncomfortable, say that you would like to change seats, referring, for example, to the fact that the light hits your eyes. If you are not welcomed, then it is better to refuse to negotiate, otherwise the victory will not be yours.

At the end of the negotiations, you must thank the owner for your time. If you are the host, you can see a very important guest by yourself, in other cases the secretary meets and sees off the visitors.

Hopefully, the tips above will help you develop a self-controlled, fuss-free, no-nonsense style of behavior.